


Hold Me Closer

by arrafrost



Category: Deadpool (Comics), Spider-Man (Comicverse)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Exhaustion, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 21:21:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12240834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arrafrost/pseuds/arrafrost
Summary: Peter is exhausted, overworked, and he just needs a break and maybe a hug.





	Hold Me Closer

**Author's Note:**

> This is a combination of two tumblr prompts, one for cuddles and comfort; the other for nightmares and comfort.

College was kicking Peter’s figurative ass. Bad guys were kicking his literal ass. Jameson was kicking his financial ass. Whether he was wearing jeans or spandex, day or night, his ass was being kicked from all angles and it was unpleasant to say the least. Profs must get off on all assigning the biggest projects all at the same time and when you’re overloading on courses it’s even harder to balance. All of the villains were getting better at planning and evading him. It’s not like he was getting injured more often but the amount that he had to chase new ones around without a moment’s rest was driving him to his limits. And Jameson. That mother-hugger would throw half of Peter’s photos back at his face for not being ‘scandalous’ enough. As though Spider-Man ever did anything scandalous. To be completely fair… his photos lately were far from quality. He didn’t have the time to stage them right or set up his camera properly. 

To put it simply, Peter Parker was an exhausted mess and he was going to collapse during an inopportune moment if he didn’t get a break soon.

He stumbled into his apartment after a particularly shitty patrol. He’d been working on his Physics assignment on a rooftop when a bank robbery decided to happen. Who the hell even thinks it’s a good idea to rob a bank in a city _filled_  with superheroes these days? How dumb do you have to-

“Ugh stupid frickin people!”

“Language, Petey.”

Peter jumped at the unexpected voice. Literally. He was clinging to his ceiling and he was very glad he’d already locked the door behind him so unsuspecting neighbors wouldn’t walk by.

“Woah, baby boy. I’m a pretty big deal but not worth that much excitement.” He held up his hands, making himself as nonthreatening as possible as he stood up from the dark living room into the light pouring in from the streetlights. Peter sighed audibly and dropped down from the ceiling. That was hilarious. Wade Wilson, trying to seem harmless after breaking into his apartment. Wouldn’t be the first time.

“Wade… I thought-” There wasn’t enough energy left in his pinky finger to lecture Wade on the etiquette of not committing a crime to spend time with friends. Even friends that had a specific bond that was probably something more than friendship and that Peter usually found himself blushing whenever he thought of the possibilities. There was something there, buried under the sarcasm and flirting that Peter denied participating in. But it wasn’t something they’d seriously talked about. Wasn’t much of an option with Wade usually.

Peter sighed, dropping his bag to the floor so he could start shimmying out of his hoodie and jeans. His suit was underneath, mask already tucked away in his bag, so it wasn’t unusual for him to disrobe in front of Wade. “Look, I’m too tired for… whatever this is. Lectures or team-ups or banter. I just want to sleep. I can’t-”

“Come here.”

Wade’s tone made Peter finally look up from tugging his sneakers off so he could get his pants off. He was greeted with one Deadpool, arms stretched out as an invitation.

“Are you trying to hug me, Wade?”

“Everybody needs a hug, Pete.”

“I don’t. I need sleep. Why are you even here?”

Wade didn’t drop his open arms but he did shrug. “Noticed you out there, little off your game. Missed a couple baddies which you never do-”

Peter opened his mouth to protest or complain or panic about the prospect of not doing his best but Wade gestured for him to stop.

“Not your fault, baby boy. You’re dead on your feet. And that’s coming from me.”

That made Peter groan. If the mercenary that spends most of his days collecting his missing limbs was telling him this than Peter was worse off than he thought. “I’m so tired, Wade.”

“I know, come here.”

“I really don’t-” But the longer Peter looked at Wade, the more he let himself accept that he really wanted to fall into his arms and collapse there for at least an eternity. He kicked off his shoe and stepped out of his jeans before stumbling forward and face planting directly onto Wade’s chest. Wade’s arms circled around him instantly and hugged him close and Peter breathed out the biggest sigh of relief he’d felt in a good while.

Wade felt wonderful. His strong body surrounding him, his warmth curling around him through both of their suits, his chin resting on top of Peter’s head to keep him close, the steady beating of his heart. How long had it been since he’d hugged someone? Touched someone in a comforting way?

Peter nuzzled closer. Too long.

As he breathed in the scent of Wade, strangely clean smelling for once with a distinct lack of blood on his suit, he felt Wade pulling away and he whined softly. But Wade pulled Peter along with him and soon Peter was being pulled down onto the couch. He settled on top of Wade’s body, not worrying about squishing the man with gorgeous muscles and the best healing factor.

Their chests were pressed together, legs slotted together awkwardly but comfortably, Peter’s arms wrapped around Wade’s shoulders and Wade’s wrapped around Peter’s back. Every time Wade breathed, Peter felt himself move up a bit and it was the most comforting feeling he’d experienced in weeks.

“Mmm,” Peter murmured involuntarily when Wade started running his fingers in patterns over Peter’s tense back. Now this was the best feeling. Slowly, he was turning into putty. A relaxed puddle on top of Wade’s body. Relaxation… that was something Peter had completely forgotten about after being wound so tight for the past few months. He needed this.

“Thank you.” The words tumbled out of Peter’s mouth before he’d realized he’d put any thought into them but he was glad he said them.

He could feel Wade’s lips pull up into a smile against his forehead. “It won’t surprise you to know that I have ulterior motives. Hugging Spidey was on the top of my to-do list for at least a year and you’re compliant when you’re tired.”

“I’m compliant when I’m around you,” Peter sighed, digging his fingers into Wade’s shoulder. He was too exhausted to keep lying to both himself and Wade. “I like you. Kind of a lot. This is nice.”

Wade laughed and squeezed him tighter. “Knew you couldn’t resist this tight bod for much longer.”

Peter did not need the reminder of how “tight” Wade’s bod was while he was laying on it, pressed up against him. But his mind wasn’t capable of going there. Not tonight. They could work out these feelings another time. Right now, Peter was content with falling asleep to the soothing pressure of Wade’s hands on his back, gently working out all the tension and knots, and letting his mind take a quiet break.

...

He should have woken up the next morning stiff and aching from both his overexertion and from using Wade as a mattress, it certainly didn’t help that they’d fallen asleep in their spandex suits, and he was to a degree. But he was also relaxed, refreshed, and too cozy to tear himself out of Wade’s arms. He’d ended up sliding off Wade slightly during the night and was tucked neatly between the back of the couch and Wade’s sleeping body. Half his body was still on Wade, an arm over his chest, leg wrapped around his waist, and Wade’s shoulder acting as a pillow for Peter’s head. It was the best night’s sleep Peter had gotten in what felt like months.

“Morning sunshine!” Wade beamed down at him when he realized Peter was awake and awkwardly debating how he was going to remove himself from Wade’s body without waking him. Not that Peter wanted to move but his classes wouldn’t come to him and skipping was never an option.

Peter grumbled, burying his face into Wade’s neck as a last attempt to forget the real world existed.

“If that isn’t the best feeling in the world - and I’ve had maple syrup poured over me like a true Canadian.”

Now that, that was an imagine Peter hadn’t expected so early in the morning. Nor did he ever think of maple syrup as something sexy but here he was. Wade had a knack of making Peter’s perspective change on a multitude of things. Right now it had less to do with wearing tights and fighting crime and more to do with licking syrup off his muscular body.

“Okay! Gotta go!” Peter untangled himself from Wade rather poorly and almost fell off the back of the couch. Instead he gracefully flipped over it and landed on his feet. He was a little light headed from rising so fast but it was better than an obvious bulge pressing against Wade’s thigh through their suits that didn’t leave much to the imagination.

Wade didn’t look all that surprised when Peter finally looked down at him, he was simply watching him with what could have been concern. Suddenly, he wanted Wade to take off his mask so he could look him in the eyes. Peter had only seen Wade’s face a handful of times, and usually it was only because Wade’s mask had been damaged. He wasn’t scared or put off by his skin like Wade assumed everyone was, not that Wade had many instances of being wrong. People shied away from what Wade described as his “ground up meatball face” and Peter could never stop the anger that churned in his stomach whenever it happened. He should tell him that he doesn’t mind his face, that he’s actually attracted to his face and thinks he’s handsome. Wade shouldn’t be ashamed of his skin.

But Peter was rested and self-conscious once again.

“I um… gotta get dressed and ready for class.”

Wade saluted him, “Just don’t forget to catch some Z’s along with those bad guys, Pete.”

Peter watched as Wade pulled himself off the couch and stretched his limbs which must have been sore after supporting Peter all night long. “You’re- this was-” He took a breath and ran a gloved hand through his hair. “Thank you. For this. I needed it.”

“Don’t sweat it. Number one fan, remember? Can’t let you be off your game. If you need another cuddle, let me know.”

The pang in his chest that accompanied Wade’s words and watching him crawl out his window wasn’t expected. Was that all this was? Helping Peter stay on his game? Wade offered Peter some comfort out of superhero obligation and that’s it. He stared out the open window and realized how unusually quiet Wade had been last night. No banter, minimal flirting. He hadn’t noticed because of how tired he was.

All of the peace drained out of him and Peter found himself dragging his feet for the rest of the day.

…

“Did you think I had feelings for you, Petey? Did I like like you? What are you, back in high school? I’m Deadpool, I get more ass than I should have any right to. You’re a scrawny wannabe superhero. Who would want you clinging to them?”

Peter jumped and nearly fell out of his seat, startling the people directly around him but thankfully not his professor who was still mid-lecture at the front of the class. The only plus side of having classes with nearly a hundred students. Courses like this made Peter wish he’d gone to a university with a smaller campus, fewer students per class. But Peter had never fallen asleep in class before and today the large class size was a blessing.

He felt his eyelids droop as he desperately tried to pay attention and copy down the newest equations on the board. Why did he have to feel this tired after such a good sleep? What if he’d been able to sleep just that little bit longer? Maybe if they had slept in, Wade wouldn’t have had time to break Peter’s heart.

Peter snapped his pencil in two, alarming even more people along with himself. He gave them a shy, apologetic smile and tucked his broken pencil into his bag before fishing for a new one.

Heartbroken? That was ridiculous. Peter couldn’t have his heart broken if he was never in love. Hopes dashed? The hope of a relationship or reciprocated feelings? That was more like it. Much more accurate. Now all he had to do was stop his heart from pounding against his ribcage and he’d be able to calm down.

The rest of the day was as much of a write-off as his Statistics course. At least, for once, patrol was uneventful and Peter was able to work on a couple assignments he was falling behind on. He called it a night around ten when not a single criminal made an appearance, thanking Manhattan for being peaceful and giving him an early night.

His bed wasn’t nearly as comfortable as he remembered it being when he face-planted into it. He wondered if the couch still smelled like spices, gunpowder and generic soap. Even the possibility of a normal couch smell was depressing enough for Peter to stay where he was.

The closer to sleep Peter got, the more the memory of Wade’s scent shifted into a horrible smell of blood and sweat and the sounds of gunshots filled his head. He was standing in the middle of a warehouse watching the spray of bullets and the blood splashing on the floor. Peter knew Wade was invincible, he could regenerate from anything, he’s lost his head more than a few times. It didn’t stop the horrible gut-wrenching feeling from swallowing Peter whole when Wade collapsed on the ground.

Peter rushed to Wade’s side, nearly retching at the amount of holes in Wade’s body. His Deadpool outfit was in tatters, he could see straight through Wade’s head in a couple places. This was the worst thing Peter had ever seen.

“Wade! Come on, regenerate. I’ve got you and the bad guys are-” Peter scanned the warehouse but it was empty, not a single person or gun in sight. “They’re all gone. You’ve got to regenerate.”

“Can’t do it, baby boy.”

Peter’s heart beat faster like it did every time Wade used that petname. “What do you mean?”

“No healing factor. Game over.”

That wasn’t possible. “What?”

“It’s all over, baby boy. They sunk my battleship.”

“No,” Peter shook his head and grabbed what was left of Wade’s hand. “You’re being an ass like you always are and trying to scare me. You’ll be fine.”

“Believe that if it makes you feel better. I’ll miss you.”

“I thought…” Peter swallowed the lump in his throat, “I thought you didn’t like me.”

“Who really knows,” Wade shrugged and then he was gone. Peter was left all alone in a pool of blood.

“Wade?” Peter stood immediately and searched the warehouse. No one was there. “Wade come back! You can’t leave! Wade don’t-”

Hands shook his shoulders and Peter screamed as he woke up, covered in sweat in his own bed. His heart was racing and a body was hovering over him but when he tried to scramble backwards, the hands on his shoulders gripped him tighter.

“You’re safe, it’s just me.”

His body reacted to the voice immediately, his shoulders relaxing and his head hitting the pillow as he stopped struggling. Peter exhaled loudly as he tried to get himself under control. “Holy crap, Wade. I thought…”

Did he really think Wade died? Or was he panicked because Wade left him?

“I gotcha. Make some room, your boy ain’t as slim as you, baby.”

The grin under Wade’s mask did a lot to calm him down as he scooting over to let Wade lay down on the bed next to him. Wade kept a hand on Peter’s arm but it wasn’t enough contact. Peter rolled over, curling against Wade’s side and breathing deeply. He let out a shaky breath and pressed his face into Wade’s shoulder.

“Some nightmare. My worst one had me drowning in a pool of pancakes. Not even syrup, Petey. How cruel is that? Kill a man with pancakes and not even give him the courtesy of maple syrup. I thought-”

“I thought you died,” Peter whispered, digging his fingers into the front of Deadpool’s suit.

“Can’t do that.”

“I know.”

They were silent for a moment before Wade started to move away and Peter gripped tighter, whining at the feeling.

“Ain’t going anywhere, baby boy,” Wade was telling the truth. He was turning onto his side so he could look Peter in the eye. Though Peter couldn’t look back. Sometimes Peter hated that mask.

“You left me.”

Wade made a show of looking down at his body, “Thought I was right here the whole time.”

“Wade.”

“In the nightmare, got it. Why’d I do that?”

Peter shrugged his shoulders, looking away from Wade and fixating on the ceiling. He was not feeling good enough to get into this right now.

“Sleep deprivation does not look good on you. On me, it looks great because I’m always sleep deprived and the bags under my eyes distract from the-”

“Stop.”

“The stop sign that I stapled to my face as a warning. How’d you know?”

Peter groaned and turning his head back to face Wade. To stare at Deadpool’s mask. “You’re not ugly, Wade. You’re gorgeous. Stop doing that to yourself.”

He shocked himself more than Wade. Or at least he thought he did, couldn’t tell what Wade’s expression under that mask was. He could feel the heat in his own cheeks though, maybe he was tired enough to talk about this.

“Can I?” Peter asked, leaving the question intentionally vague if Wade wanted to deflect like he always did. Instead, Wade nodded and Peter moved his hand up Wade’s chest to tug at the bottom of the mask.

He let his fingers press against Wade’s neck and chin and cheek as he pushed the mask up and off his face. Peter wanted to toss it across the room once it was off but he dropped it on the pillow in case Wade changed his mind.

His eyes were darker than Peter had remembered from the brief glimpses he’d caught before.

“Hey.”

Wade blinked at him. “Hi.”

Peter breathed in deep as he gathered up that last bit of courage. “I really like you. Like like you.”

Wade grinned at him, “What are we in high school?”

 _Did I like like you? What are you, back in high school?_ Peter shuttered at the memory of his horrible dream but the real Wade raised a hand to cup his cheek.

“Think I’ve been pretty clear about my feelings.”

Peter narrowed his eyes, but he moved his hand to cover Wade’s and nuzzled his cheek against his palm. “Have you?”

Wade quirked an eyebrow at him, “Told you I wanted to have your babies.”

“You said that about Thor.”

“Can you imagine Thor’s babies?”

Peter laughed, hard. How could he have let his overactive mind think there wasn’t anything between them? The way they flirted and bantered, the way Wade new exactly what Peter needed last night and being with him now. Peter frowned as something dawned on him.

“Wade?”

“Yes baby daddy?”

“Did you catch any bad guys tonight?”

Wade did a horrible job of hiding his smirk, “I didn’t not catch any bad guys. Definitely not anywhere near your regular patrol route. Don’t even have to worry about-”

“Thank you. I needed the break.”

“Get some homework done up there on the roof?”

“I did.”

“College is a strange thing.”

“You could do it if you had the attention span.”

“Ah, but that I don’t have!”

Peter leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Wade’s. “You do when you set your mind to it. I think you’re a little fixated on me.”

“Look who’s talking.”

He had a point. Peter laughed softly, nudging Wade’s nose with his own. “Can I kiss you?”

“Can I hear that every single day from now until eternity?”

Peter smiled wide as he shifted his body closer to Wade’s, their lips brushing as Peter whispered, “I can certainly try to make that happen.”

“Then by all means.”

Peter kissed Wade like he’d been wanting to for months. Lips pressing hard, tongue slipping into his mouth, hot breath on his cheek as they parted. He could swear his heart was pounding in his throat.

Wade kissed his cheek, his jaw, his neck. He expected things to go further but Wade detoured back up to press a chaste kiss to his forehead and tugged Peter closer. He was about to complain but as soon as his cheek his Wade’s shoulder, Peter knew this was the best plan of the night.

He snuggled closer, letting his eyes shut as he reached out for Wade’s hand. Wade took it, squeezing gently as Peter allowed himself to drift back to sleep. He could already tell this was going to be the best sleep of his life and he intended on keeping Wade around for this exact reason… and a couple of other reasons to be explored in the morning.


End file.
